Elsad Zverotic has been FC Aarau's head of sport since the start of the year
Image: Keystone
He wore the FCA shirt from 2018 until the end of his career in 2021
Image: Keystone
Elsad Zverotic inconsolable: After the then Aarau captain missed a penalty, FCA missed out on promotion to the Super League in the 2019 barrage against Xamax
Image: Keystone
After his time at FC Luzern, Zverotic moved to Young Boys
Image: Keystone
Zverotic (bottom left) won the Swiss Cup with FC Sion in 2015
Image: Keystone
Zverotic played 61 international matches for Montenegro, here in October 2010 against Switzerland
Image: Keystone
Elsad Zverotic has been FC Aarau's head of sport since the start of the year
Image: Keystone
He wore the FCA shirt from 2018 until the end of his career in 2021
Image: Keystone
Elsad Zverotic inconsolable: After the then Aarau captain missed a penalty, FCA missed out on promotion to the Super League in the 2019 barrage against Xamax
Image: Keystone
After his time at FC Luzern, Zverotic moved to Young Boys
Image: Keystone
Zverotic (bottom left) won the Swiss Cup with FC Sion in 2015
Image: Keystone
Zverotic played 61 international matches for Montenegro, here in October 2010 against Switzerland
Image: Keystone
Elsad Zverotic has been sporting director at Aarau for just under a year. Ahead of the Cup clash against Luzern, the 37-year-old talks to Keystone-SDA about the appeal of tight budgets, big games and the trauma of 2019.
15.09.2024, 04:30
15.09.2024, 08:19
SDA
Elsad Zverotic, FC Aarau face Lucerne in the last 16 of the Cup on Sunday. Were you happy about the draw or would you have preferred a different opponent?
It's a cool draw, the stadium will be full. It's a huge experience for us to play against a team from the Super League. It will be tough. Luzern have a brutal flow.
You played for both clubs, were active for FC Luzern from 2008 to 2011 and played for FC Aarau from 2018 until the end of your career in 2021. What does the affair trigger in you?
I had a great time in Central Switzerland, even if it was tough and turbulent at the beginning with the rescue in the barrage. But then things went steadily upwards, for the club, but also for me. It's great that I can now compete with the club that once gave me the chance to gain a foothold in the Super League.
Are there any parallels between the clubs?
I find it tricky to compare clubs. Each one is different, has its own philosophy and its own opportunities. Each club should go its own way.
What path do you want to take with Aarau?
We want to develop players and be successful.
The latter is not yet working this season. After six match days, we only have five points, but have already suffered three home defeats. FC Aarau are in second-last place in the Challenge League.
In terms of points, the start has certainly not been satisfactory. We had a major upheaval this summer. I said it before the season: the development will take time, the cogs won't mesh right from the start.
You didn't spend a single franc on transfer fees in the summer. How difficult is it to put together a functioning team without money?
It's a challenge, but I think it's great (laughs). You have to be flexible and creative. What can go together, where do you spend more on a player, where less? But of course, you always think twice before signing a player. It's a constant balancing act.
Nine players have left the club, eleven players have arrived, including regulars from the Challenge League and Raul Bobadilla, a player with experience from higher leagues. Aarau actually have a good squad, with which promotion should be an issue after ten years in the Challenge League.
As I said, it takes time to develop something. We are convinced that we will find our way to success.
With coach Brunello Iacopetta, who has only been on the sidelines since the summer?
We are very happy with his work. He is a committed coach who wants success and follows a clear plan.
However, you can't yet see much of his signature style, which FC Wil has had in recent years, in Aarau.
Perhaps not in the long term. But in individual phases of the game. Now we need to bring that onto the pitch over a longer period of time. I'll repeat myself: it takes time. Brunello also needed it in Wil. The players first have to get to know the new coach and his philosophy.
How good was the national team break in this respect? Or would it have been better for you to be able to play again straight after losing the game against Bellinzona?
Ideally, you'd like to have another game straight after a defeat to show a reaction. In our case, however, the break was certainly a good thing. Players returning from injury were able to rebuild properly and the coach had time to work with the squad.
FC Aarau's greatest successes were a long time ago. The last of three championship titles was celebrated in 1993, the only cup victory dates back to 1985. Is the club's history a burden or an incentive for the current team?
For a player, it's cool to play for a club that is talked about, that is ambitious, where you can show your worth. The titles are in the past. The focus is on the present and the future. We want to write a new history together.
On October 12, FC Aarau celebrates the 100th anniversary of the Brügglifeld. Partner club FC Schalke, a big name that has crashed in recent years and whose return to the top flight is likely to remain wishful thinking for the foreseeable future, will be visiting Aarau for the anniversary. You could also say that you are brothers in spirit.
Schalke have had a difficult time in recent years. But you can't compare the situation of the two clubs. We're in our tenth season in the Challenge League, Schalke are only in their second year in the Bundesliga 2.
While Gelsenkirchen has one of the most modern arenas in Europe, those responsible at FC Aarau have been fighting for a new stadium for more than 20 years. Lost votes and objections have prevented and delayed several projects. Now a stadium with 10,000 seats is to be built as part of the "Torfeld Süd" project, which will be cross-financed with three high-rise buildings as a shell use. How advanced are the plans?
The plan would have been to play in the new stadium in two to three years. Unfortunately, there have also been objections to the latest project, which has delayed construction once again. Maybe we'll be playing in the new stadium in 2030, or maybe it will take even longer. It's difficult to make a prediction.
How often do you think back to June 2, 2019?
Less than before.
After a 4-0 win in the first leg of the barrage in Neuchâtel, FC Aarau's return to the Super League seemed like a mere formality. But you and your teammates collapsed in the second leg, squandering a comfortable lead and losing on penalties, in which you were the only scorer not to score.
Football is sometimes special and unpredictable. It's difficult to say how that could have happened. The first goal we conceded came too early, then we didn't defend well when we had two corners. And suddenly your head comes into play, you can suddenly lose something. Unfortunately, it turned out the way it did. It was a match that affected all of us and me personally for a long time. I felt extremely empty for a few months.
In any case, the Brügglifeld doesn't seem to bring FC Aarau much luck in the big games. Three years ago, they had the chance to reach the cup final for the first time since 1989. But with them on the bench, they lost the semi-final 1:2 - against Luzern. Is this game a topic in the preparation for Sunday?
No. A lot has changed for both teams since then. It's a completely new game.
How big are the chances that FC Aarau, a lower-ranked team, can give FC Luzern a run for their money?
FC Luzern is the clear favorite. But the Cup has its own rules. In football, you never know what's coming, we know that from our own experience. If the team shows what it's made of, then a lot is possible. There's nothing to lose, but something to gain.
